The Christmas Eve dinner is ready early, with pies full of mince, all kinds of bacon and sweet meats, bread and toast, salads and desserts.

The flames in the fireplace jumped one by one, releasing a lot of heat and light, and the red bricks on the wall were baked warm, and you could feel the inexplicable warmth when you put it on.

The Bentleys' house was not far from Trafalgar Square, and at night, cheers and shouts could almost be heard from there, and it was the people who were going on the event.

Caroline asked Georgiana softly if she wanted to go out and have a look, and the girl shook her head and refused.

On Christmas Eve, Georgiana slept late, so as soon as the Christmas Eve dinner was over, she was too sleepy to say that she was going to sleep, and Caroline took her to her room and watched her fall asleep before slowly exiting the bedroom.

As soon as I went out, I saw Charles and Darcy sitting on the sofa opposite each other, and there was a strange atmosphere between the two.

Hearing the sound of the door, the two of them looked up in unison, and their eyes fell on Caroline's body, and the corners of the latter's mouth twitched, "What's wrong?" ”

Darcy didn't speak, and Charles coughed lightly, "Merry Christmas, Caroline." ”

“…… Merry Christmas – brother, you've said it many times! She walked over to the two of them, picked up the small teapot and cup next to them, and walked towards them.

"Lemon tea, go greasy." She poured three glasses, one for herself, and the other pushed in front of Darcy and Charles, "Okay, now you can say, what's wrong with you?" ”

Charles couldn't help but glance at Darcy and then at his sister, frowning in confusion, "That-forget it, it's okay, tonight's dinner is well prepared Caroline, I heard that you baked the pie?" ”

"How can I do that! It's just a change of seasoning—okay, don't change the subject, Mr. Darcy, Charles doesn't want to sue me, you always want to sue me, right? ”

Darcy's heart skipped a beat at Caroline's gray-green eyes, but he soon noticed that Miss Caroline had no shyness or any other reaction to him, her eyes were as calm as ever, and she was as beautiful as ever.

- She obviously didn't take her last words to heart, and seemed to keep telling herself that she didn't understand.

What the hell is she running away from?

Suddenly aware of this, Darcy's face gradually darkened, and the little anticipation and excitement in his heart was soothed by this awareness before he came to Bingley's house for Christmas.

She doesn't believe in herself? How could she not believe in herself?!

Darcy remembered that at that ball, George Wickham, with his handsome young face and coaxing face, had not deceived Miss Caroline, and she had told him that she believed in herself and that a gentleman would not be what Wickham said.

Has she forgotten all about jì? Is that kind of trust a joke?

Uncontrollably aggrieved and disappointed, the corners of Darcy's mouth slid down, and he thought of Baddeley Hale he had met that day.

Does he call her Caroline? There was no way to get past that "miss" title, and in my own mind, going from Miss Bingley to Miss Caroline was already a difficult thing for Darcy to do[1].

"Nothing, Miss Caroline, is Georgiana already asleep?" Darcy gave Charles a look, and the latter raised an eyebrow, is this to avoid himself?

Charles became extra sensitive to things that didn't happen to him, so he pouted and nodded, glanced at his sister, believing that she wouldn't have any quarrel with Darcy, so he picked up his teacup and went to the study.

"Georgiana seemed to be very tired and fell asleep after lying down."

"She had to wait until the first day of Christmas because she was a little tired last night, and today is a very early morning, and she is looking forward to seeing you." Darcy said, he was silent for a moment, and said, "Miss Caroline, I ......"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Caroline, "Mr. Darcy, the Bentley family has been working with the Hall family recently, are you interested?" ”

Darcy pursed her lower lip, "Miss, I apologize for my recklessness that day, but I'm not kidding. ”

Caroline: "......" Why do you say it_(:3ゝ∠)_

"Sir, I didn't say you were kidding."

"But you didn't take it seriously, did you?" Darcy's face was a little unsightly, and he lowered his eyelashes, "I'm asking for your consent very strictly, but Miss Caroline, my answer at that time has to be regarded as perfunctory now. ”

"Nope! Sir, no. Caroline also sank her face, and said word by word, she frowned fiercely, her gray-green eyes were unusually bright under the shaking of the flames, "Sir, I respect every word you say, I also believe in your character, I have never lost my trust in you, this is not perfunctory, Mr. Darcy." ”

"So, what is it?"

It's worry.

Caroline opened her mouth, swallowing the words back, and she turned her head to look at the fireplace, "Sir, you don't understand, I can't describe this qiē to you." ”

She can't sue him, she's always known him, how would you react when someone who doesn't exist suddenly appears in front of you? Surprise or fright?

's male god said to herself that she liked it, and her first reaction was not joy, but unreal.

This is ridiculous.

Who can accept such a thing? She is worried that everything is fake, her crossing, her relatives, her experience, her memory, everything is fake, so what should she do?

So I have never dared to integrate into this family, so I have been looking at the world with so-called "arrogant" glasses.

Many servants said that Miss Caroline was very nice, but it was too difficult to approach.

Although she has an amiable personality and is so unpretentious, it is still difficult to talk to Miss Caroline.

She's like a passerby who never cares about herself.

Caroline knew it wasn't good, but who could tell her what to do?

Some people may say that you are worrying about the sky, don't you just live in the moment? Tube so much? Don't you understand hedonism?

To put it simply, not everyone has such a free and easy experience.

She admits that she is doing it, but if it were someone else, she didn't believe that others could live more indifferently than her.

Isn't it too contradictory to stubbornly maintain a sense of detachment from the world while forcing oneself to follow the trajectory of the world?

And wouldn't it be even more irresponsible if, after she promised Mr. Darcy, she disappeared and disappeared again? If you can't keep your promises, you can't give him the trust you can trust.

Caroline couldn't do it.

Darcy stared at her for a long time, until her forehead began to sweat, and the stove was too hot, and she fidgeted.

"Miss Caroline, I don't understand. If you don't sue me, I will never understand, but I am willing to believe you until one day you can sue me. I'm glad to hear that you trust me, Miss, and that's a great joy for someone like me. Perhaps, miss, I beg you not to refuse my pursuit, and I think I will tell you with my sincerity that this qiē is true. ”

Forgive her for really not speaking good English, Caroline was stunned for a long time before she said dryly, "Sir, I'm ......"

Darcy suddenly stood up, walked up to her, and reached out to gently wipe Caroline's forehead, "Trust me. ”

Caroline: ............

His face turned red.

###

Jane Bennett has been in London for almost a week.

Caroline didn't invite Miss Jane to London, because she had almost forgotten about it, and there was always a lot to do after Christmas, such as starting to sort out the year-end books, the house's belongings, cleaning before the New Year, and Charles going to Yorkshire for a while after the New Year.

She was about to forget what Mr. Jì Darcy had said, but it would be strange if you could ignore the fact that there is such an older brother who looks at you with gossip every day.

So when Miss Jane showed up at Bingley's door, Caroline's brain had a short circuit.

“…… Miss Jane Bennett?! ”

Caroline was stunned for a long time, and immediately opened the door to let her in, "Miss Bennett, why are you here?" ”

When they left Meliton, it was Charles who wrote to Jane to tell her that they were going back to London, but Caroline didn't ask about it, firstly she didn't think it was a big deal, and secondly, Charles could handle it completely.

But...... The reality doesn't seem to be that way.

The pretty lady at the door blushed in embarrassment, her gaze wandered, staring at Miss Bingley's surprised gaze, and whispered, "Sorry, I'm really disturbing......"

Caroline blinked, "Come in, miss, I'll ask Mrs. Fafa to prepare some food." ”

Jane breathed a sigh of relief, she knew that this Miss Bentley was still very kind, but who would accept a young lady who rushed after her? Jane was a little restless again, and when her mother said that, she thought she should go for it, but in this way, it seemed that she had done it again.

Caroline came out of the kitchen and smiled at the young lady who was sitting a little restrained on the sofa, "How did Miss Bennett come up with the idea of coming here?" London isn't close to Longborn. ”

"Miss Bingley...... I, well, I'm here to see, and I haven't seen you for a long time. Will you go back to Longborne after this winter? Netherfield Manor? ”

"Ah, yes. I'm glad to meet you, too, Miss Bennett. Seeing that she was a little more relaxed, Caroline laughed in her heart, she didn't look terrible, what was she afraid of, hey, "I don't know, the specific situation depends on Charles, if I can, I also hope to go to Longborn for a few more days, it's really beautiful there!" ”

"Yes, Elizabeth thinks so too, you have not been gone for a long time, and everyone misses you very much." Jane's voice was still soft and weak, and there was always a beauty of her own when she spoke.

You're really hungry for Charles, right? Caroline was helpless, but she didn't say anything, if you don't say this kind of thing, you can still be friends and pretend that nothing happened, "We miss you too, Miss." Is there anything fun to do in the countryside? ”

In order not to embarrass her, Caroline had to keep looking for topics.

Jane thought for a moment, "It's nothing special, Charlotte is going to marry Cousin Collins in two days, and you should have met him at the ball, Miss." ”

"Yes, I remember him."

"Also, the officers are getting to know us better, and they say they're going to get together before they leave Meriton. - Although my mother was not happy at all, she felt that they were not decent enough. ”

Caroline's focus wasn't on Mrs. Bennett, "And Lydia???? ”

"No, and Elizabeth. Miss Bentley, how do you know?! ”

Probably, it's because I'm destined to participate in the plot.

——*——*——*——*——*——*——*——*——*——*——*——

"Is Miss Bingley home alone?"

Finally, to get to the point.

Caroline nodded, putting on a helpless expression, "No way, Charles went to Yorkshire, only the servants were left to accompany me, now that the weather is so cold, I don't want to go north with him, it's troublesome enough along the way." ”

"That's right, I also felt the cold wind when I came up all the way, but that's a pity." Jane bit her lower lip, "Miss Bingley won't be lonely, after all, there is so much socializing in London. ”

"I can't say that, but it's enough for them to talk."

"Miss Bingley is really approachable." Jane said honestly, "Isn't my arrival a little too abrupt?" ”

Caroline was stunned, she didn't expect Miss Jane Bennett, who had always been introverted and shy, to say this, was it taught by Elizabeth?

"No, not really." She smiled, "I'm glad to meet you, after all, I'll still go to Netherfield Manor for a vacation in the future, in fact, I'll still see Miss Jane." As Mrs. Bennett said, sometimes you should move around more. ”

Jane's eyes lit up, and she clearly thought that Caroline meant to have more contact with them.

Caroline tugged at the corners of her mouth, this kind of thing obviously can't be accused by her, do you want her to say that the object they want to associate with is a decent family with connotation?

Oh, forget it. She couldn't speak.

"Where does Miss Bennett come to London to stay? Alone? She noticed that Jane's clothes looked new, as well as the patterns that had recently been fashionable in London, apparently she had just bought.

"No, my uncle is in London, and this time I came with my uncle and lives there." Jane explains, "What a beautiful journey from Longburn to London! This is my first time here. ”

Speaking of which, even the young lady couldn't help but have her eyes sparkling, and she was clearly very fond of this kind of activity.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Britain was rapidly urbanised, with large numbers of rural people moving into cities, and the rise of industrialized cities such as Manchester also accelerated urbanization.

For example, Mr. Garnard, the uncle of the Bennett family, was in business with his wife in London.

"I see, I wonder what Miss Bennett would be like if she were alone."

"Actually, Lizzy wanted to come with me at the time......" Jane said with a blushing face, her voice getting quieter and quieter, and finally she became nervous again.

She's always like this, and she can't help but blush when she encounters a problem that can't be explained properly.

"Miss Bingley, I'm ......"

"Miss Bennett, may I seriously ask you a question?" Caroline spoke decisively, she always felt that she should not talk to this young lady in too many circles.

Jane was stunned, "Yes, I mean, of course." ”

"What does Miss Jane Bennett think of my brother Charles?" Caroline looked into her eyes, "I just want to know what Miss Jane thinks, it's not Elizabeth's, it's not Bennett's, it's just Miss Jane's, can you sue me?" ”

Hearing this, the beautiful girl blushed, her golden brown hair was silky and reflective, "Okay Miss, I, I want to ...... Mr. Charles Bentley was a charming gentleman, cheerful, warm, kind, generous, and handsome......"

Caroline raised her eyebrows and nodded, "Charles is a very good gentleman. That's her brother, although it's shameless to say that, but Caroline always thinks Charles is a good candidate for a husband, both in terms of personality and family background.

However, that is all on the premise of having a woman with a distinct personality.

"Well, in my opinion, there is probably no better gentleman than Mr. Charles Bingley." Jane said with a blushing face.

"But I don't think so." Caroline pouted, "Miss, don't talk too much, if one day you meet a better man, maybe a more gentleman, or an officer, no matter how bad a big landlord is, he is much better than Charles, you won't think Charles is very good." ”

Jane was stunned, she opened her mouth, thinking of her and Elizabeth, who had been forced to marry, a little speechless, it could not be denied that their Bennett family did need a son-in-law with property.

At that time, Mr. Bennett said very indifferently that his eldest daughter should marry Collins first, after all, the departure of the Bingley family and the subsequent departure of Darcy represented the shattering of Mrs. Bennett's dream, and their daughter was probably not taken seriously.

Mrs. Bennett screamed that it was impossible, that their daughter was a good one, that she did not believe his nonsense, that Charles Bingley was already a son-in-law in her eyes.

Jane's heart was naturally biased towards Mrs. Bennett, even if she felt that it was really because she and Charles were impossible, but she couldn't help but hallucinate, and people always had a wonderful fantasy about things that were not condemned to death.

The clearest person to see is neither Elizabeth nor Mary, but Charlotte.

On the night she was talking to Collins, she told Elizabeth, "I don't think your sister will marry Bingley, and see, they are not from the same world as you, and Licui, Jiying will not like that kind of life." ”

Charlotte and Collins, for the women of the Bennett family, are both disaster and salvation.

Jane didn't like her cousin, he would only boast of his lofty character, but he didn't have that capital, but he talked about everything so fancifully.

Elizabeth was even more annoying than Jane's coldness, and she was very clear, especially after getting to know that Mr. Wickham.

But Charlotte, a young lady who is not young and not very good-looking, is already very good to be able to marry a priest like Collins, he has property, and he can inherit the Bennett family's estate, this marriage can be described as a good deal.

Jane nervously picked up the teacup on the table, "I don't know. ”

Caroline didn't know what she was thinking, but judging from her expression, Jane really didn't know what would happen if she met someone like she described, because she had lived in Longburn since she was a child, and she had never been in contact with many different worlds, and she would not be able to contact all kinds □□of people like she was in London.

"But miss." Caroline thought about it, she felt that she should help Charles, and there were some things that Charles couldn't bear to say to this young lady, so she had to do it for her. "If you become my sister-in-law, the lady of the Bentley family, do you think you can handle this responsibility?"

As soon as the words fell, I saw the young lady on the other side stunned.

Caroline was ruthless, and secretly scolded herself for being nosy, but the words were all said, and there was no reason to take it back.

"Miss Bennett, you were sick that time, and your sister discussed it with us. ——What does a good young lady need to have, in addition to perfect etiquette, important connotation, appearance, talent, family background, and most importantly, for the head mother of a family, yes, I am talking about our Bentley family, what matters is your ability. Miss, do you think you have what it takes to be a Bentley housewife? ”

Caroline saw that the young lady opposite her face was gradually white, she took a breath, closed her eyes, and stared at the vase beside her, but she still did not stop her words.

"If we become the wife of the Bentley family, even if we don't care about the family property, but we think that the Bentley wife needs to be able to manage a big family, can read the daily income and expenditure records, can handle the servants, and will show the style of the Bentley family to participate in the ball with Charles, and need to have a kind of bearing. I think that's the most basic. Not only that, but the Bentley's wife can not bring additional income to the Bentley family, but I hope that there will be no news of the loss. - After all, we are all merchants. ”

Mrs. Bennett must not be a money-saver, including her two young daughters.

"Don't blame me for being too talkative, I just want to ask for my brother, I'm surnamed Bentley, aren't I?"

Jane Bennett's face was so pale that she could even see her red eyes, where had she ever heard such a heavy word, no, she couldn't say it heavy, but no one had ever told her about it.

Lizzie said it wasn't appropriate, but she just didn't give up until Mr. Bingley's sister told her herself. She's telling the truth, and the truth is always so harsh.

Jane couldn't help but ask herself, can you do it?

Even if you force yourself to do this, can you guarantee that your mother can do it too?

She took a deep breath and covered her face, it couldn't be, she couldn't do it, it was just wishful thinking.

Caroline looked at her like this, and she couldn't bear it, and she wanted to say sorry to her.

But this is the nineteenth century, not the twenty-first century, and what their family needs here is a Mrs. Bentley who can bring benefits, support the family, and give face.

Instead of a gentle woman with a weak character, and a troublesome family behind her.

Although snobbery is full of monetary interests, this is the current situation of their current society, as Jane Bennett in this era, she will not fail to understand that this is originally a society where fame and fortune are supreme and money are supreme.

She didn't blame Miss Bingley for saying that, for it was a problem she didn't want to face, but after so long of avoiding it, she had to turn around and accept the result.

"Miss Bingley......" Jane looked up, the tears in her eyes swallowed back with great effort, "I just want to ask you one last time, can't love really make up for this?" ”

Caroline was stunned, she was silent for a while, and was about to speak, but she heard the sound of the door suddenly being opened.

"Of course not!" Some arrogant female voices rang out, "How do you know that there is love between you?!" This, unknown young lady! ”

Caroline opened her mouth wide in surprise, "Miss Sarah?!" When did you come?! She glanced at the servant beside her and kept his head down, "Goering, why don't you sue me!" ”

"I won't let him say it!" Sara raised her chin, "Miss Caroline, I overheard your conversation at the door, who is this?" Where's the young lady? Why haven't you seen it at a ball? ”

Sara has always been a straightforward person, when Charles was away, she fully interpreted what is called "eldest lady's temper", Caroline couldn't stop her, she saw this noble lady walking in front of Jane with elegant steps, and then looked her up and down, "Who do you have a crush on?" Goering or Claude? - It can't be Charles, right? ”